NHL teams continue to tweak their coaching staffs this summer. Let’s take a look at four of today’s moves featuring two different teams.
- The Montreal Canadiens promoted two Hamilton Bulldogs coaches to their NHL-level staff, naming Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur as Jacques Martin’s new assistants today. Clément Jodoin will replace Cunneyworth as the Bulldogs’ head coach next season.
Cunneyworth and Ladouceur might be familiar to NHL fans since they both enjoyed lengthy playing careers. Cunneyworth played 15 seasons in the NHL and also bounced around the AHL a bit during a span that ranged from 1981-1999. Ladouceur appeared in 14 NHL seasons from 1982-1996. Some will remember them for those long careers while others might recall that their skills didn’t exactly “translate well” to video games.
The duo helped the Bulldogs earn a 44-27-9 record (97 points), good enough for a North Division title. The Bulldogs made it to the Western Conference finals before bowing to the Houston Aeros.
Here’s a little more about Cunneyworth:The Canadiens shared more details about Ladouceur’s career as well.
Randy Ladouceur is returning to the NHL, where he served for ten seasons as an assistant coach between 1996 and 2008.
Ladouceur began his coaching career as an assistant with the Hartford Whalers in 1996-97. The franchise then moved to Carolina, where he served for seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Hurricanes (1997 to 2004). Following a full season as head coach of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League in 2005-06, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff as an assistant for two seasons (2006-07 and 2007-08). Before joining the Bulldogs, he was assistant coach with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs (2009-10).- Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets’ new look coaching staff seems like it’s nearing completion.
The 39-year-old Vincent coached the Montreal Juniors to a 46-12-10 record in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season.
The Laval, Que., native has an all-time QMJHL coaching record of 429-313-87 to go along with nine playoff series wins.